SEC401: Security Essentials Bootcamp Style

Very well rounded. Great that he(the instructor)was able to bring real world examples to class. Made the class flow smoothly.Robin Mahon, Kapstone Paper

SEC401 took what I thought I knew and truly explained everything to me. Now, I also UNDERSTAND the security essentials fundamentals and how/why we apply them. Loved the training, cannot wait to come back for more.Nicholas Blanton, ManTech International

Learn the most effective steps to prevent attacks and detect adversaries with actionable techniques that you can directly apply when you get back to work. Learn tips and tricks from the experts so that you can win the battle against the wide range of cyber adversaries that want to harm your environment.

Is SEC401: Security Essentials Bootcamp Style the right course for you?

STOP and ask yourself the following questions:

Do you fully understand why some organizations get compromised and others do not?

If there were compromised systems on your network, are you confident that you would be able to find them?

Do you know the effectiveness of each security device and are you certain that they are all configured correctly?

Are proper security metrics set up and communicated to your executives to drive security decisions?

If you do not know the answers to these questions, SEC 401 course will provide the information security training you need in a bootcamp-style format that is reinforced with hands-on labs.

To develop effective security metrics that provide a focused playbook that IT can implement, auditors can validate, and executives can understand

To analyze and assess the risk to your environment in order to drive the creation of a security roadmap that focuses on the right areas of security

Practical tips and tricks to focus in on high-priority security problems within your organization and on doing the right things that will lead to security solutions that work

Why some organizations are winning and some are losing when it comes to security and, most importantly, how to be on the winning side

The core areas of security and how to create a security program that is anchored on PREVENT-DETECT-RESPOND.

Learn to build a security roadmap that can scale today and into the future.

SEC401: Security Essentials Bootcamp Style is focused on teaching you the essential information security skills and techniques you need to protect and secure your organization's critical information assets and business systems. Our course will show you how to prevent your organization's security problems from being headline news in the Wall Street Journal!

"Prevention is Ideal but Detection is a Must."

With the advanced persistent threat, it is almost inevitable that organizations will be targeted. Whether the attacker is successful in penetrating an organization's network depends on the effectiveness of the organization's defense. Defending against attacks is an ongoing challenge, with new threats emerging all of the time, including the next generation of threats. Organizations need to understand what really works in cybersecurity. What has worked, and will always work, is taking a risk-based approach to cyber defense. Before your organization spends a dollar of its IT budget or allocates any resources or time to anything in the name of cybersecurity, three questions must be answered:

What is the risk?

Is it the highest priority risk?

What is the most cost-effective way to reduce the risk?

Security is all about making sure you focus on the right areas of defense. In SEC 401 you will learn the language and underlying theory of computer and information security. You will gain the essential and effective security knowledge you will need if you are given the responsibility for securing systems and/or organizations. This course meets both of the key promises SANS makes to our students: (1) You will learn up-to-the-minute skills you can put into practice immediately upon returning to work; and (2) You will be taught by the best security instructors in the industry.

Assessment Available

This course prepares you for the GSEC certification that meets the requirement of the DoD 8570 IAT Level 2.

Course Content Overlap Notice:

Please note that some course material for SEC401 and MGT512 may overlap. We recommend SEC401 for those interested in a more technical course of study, and MGT512 for those primarily interested in a leadership-oriented but less technical learning experience.

Overview

A key way that attackers gain access to a company's resources is through a network connected to the Internet. A company wants to try to prevent as many attacks as possible, but in cases where it cannot prevent an attack, it must detect it in a timely manner. Therefore, an understanding of how networks and the related protocols like TCP/IP work is critical to being able to analyze network traffic and determine what is hostile. It is just as important to know how to protect against these attacks using devices such as routers and firewalls. These essentials, and more, will be covered during this course day in order to provide a firm foundation for the consecutive days of training.

Overview

To secure an enterprise network, you must have an understanding of the general principles of network security. In this course, you will learn about six key areas of network security. The day starts with information assurance foundations. Students look at both current and historical computer security threats, and how they have impacted confidentiality, integrity, and availability. The first half of the day also covers creating sound security policies and password management, including tools for password strength on both Unix and Windows platforms. The second half of the day is spent on understanding the information warfare threat and the six steps of incident handling. The day draws to a close by looking at what can be done to test and protect a web server in your company.

Overview

Military agencies, banks, and retailers offering electronic commerce programs, as well as dozens of other types of organizations, are striving to understand the threats they are facing and what they can do to address those threats. On day 3, you will be provided with a roadmap to help you understand the paths available to organizations that are considering deploying or planning to deploy various security devices and tools such as intrusion detection systems and firewalls. When it comes to securing your enterprise, there is no single technology that is going to solve all your security issues. However, by implementing an in-depth defense strategy that includes multiple risk-reducing measures, you can go a long way toward securing your enterprise.

Overview

There is no silver bullet when it comes to security. However, there is one technology that would help solve a lot of security issues, though few companies deploy it correctly. This technology is cryptography. Concealing the meaning of a message can prevent unauthorized parties from reading sensitive information. Day 4 looks at various aspects of encryption and how it can be used to secure a company's assets. A related area called steganography, or information hiding, is also covered. Wireless is becoming a part of most modern networks, but is often implemented in a non-secure manner. Security issues associated with wireless, and what can be done to protect these networks, will also be discussed. This section finishes by tying all of the other pieces together by looking at operations security.

Overview

Windows is the most widely-used and hacked operating system on the planet. At the same time, the complexities of Active Directory, PKI, BitLocker, AppLocker, and User Account Control represent both challenges and opportunities. This section will help you quickly master the world of Windows security while showing you the tools that can simplify and automate your work. You will complete the day with a solid grounding in Windows security, including the important new features in Windows 8 and Server 2012.

Overview

While organizations do not have as many Unix/Linux systems, those that they do have are often some of the most critical systems that need to be protected. Day 6 provides step-by-step guidance to improve the security of any Linux system. The course combines practical "how to" instructions with background information for Linux beginners, as well as security advice and best practices for administrators of all levels of expertise.

"Excellent material for security professionals wanting a deeper level of knowledge on how to implement security policies, procedures, and defensive mechanisms in an org." - Brandon Smit, Dynetics

"SEC401 took what I thought I knew and truly explained everything to me. Now, I also UNDERSTAND the security essentials fundamentals and how/why we apply them. Loved the training, cannot wait to come back for more." - Nicholas Blanton, ManTech International

Security 401: Security Essentials Bootcamp Style consists of course instruction and hands-on sessions. To reinforce the skills covered in class and gain experience with the tools needed to implement effective security, there are hands-on labs every day. These lab sessions are designed to enable students to use the knowledge gained throughout the course in an instructor-led environment. Students will have the opportunity to install, configure, and utilize the tools and techniques that they have learned.

RULES AND REQUIREMENTS:

Do not bring a regular production laptop to this class! When installing software, there is always a chance of breaking something else on the system. Students should assume that all data could be lost.

It is critical that students have administrator access to the operating system and all security software installed. Changes need to be made to personal firewalls and other host-based software in order for the labs to work.

Anti-virus software will need to be disabled in order to install some of the tools.

A DVD player is required to install the tools that will be provided in class.

Students are required to bring their own laptops that are properly configured. There is not enough time in class to help you install your laptop, so please note that your laptop must be properly installed and configured before you come to class. Students are also required to test their systems (as described below) prior to coming to class.

Students must bring a laptop with Windows 7 or full version of Windows 8 (which includes Windows 8.1) installed. The recommended configuration is Windows 7 as the host operating system running Kali Linux as a virtual machine with VMWare Player. Students can use a Mac or Linux system with a different virtual machine product running both Windows and Kali Linux (or (or BackTrack off of the course DVD for Macs) on virtual machines, but the specific details for setting it up are left to the student.

Students MUST also download/install VMWare Player and Kali Linux prior to coming to class. In addition, the DVDs provided to students contain BackTrack 5 and can be installed on the first day of class.

In summary, before you arrive for the course you should:

Confirm that Windows 7 or Windows 8 (which includes Windows 8.1) is installed and working

Download and install VMWare Player

Install Kali Linux

Confirm that you can start up Kali Linux and run a program.

By properly preparing, you will have a knowledge-rich and enjoyable lab experience.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact us.

Sincerely,

Dr. Eric Cole

Track Lead/Course Author

E-mail: eric@sans.org

If you have additional questions about the laptop specifications, please contact laptop_prep@sans.org.

SEC401 Security Essentials Bootcamp Style covers all of the core areas of security and assumes a basic understanding of technology, networks, and security. For those who are brand new to the field with no background knowledge, SEC301: Intro to Information Security would be the recommended starting point. While SEC301 is not a prerequisite, it will provide the introductory knowledge that will help maximize the experience with SEC401.

SEC401 is an interactive hands-on training course. The following are some of the lab activities that students will carry out:

Setup of virtual lab environment

Windows/Linux tutorial

TCP dump analysis

WireShark decoding of VoIP traffic

Password cracking

Host-based discovery with Dumpsec

Hashing to preserve digital evidence

Analyzing networks with hping and nmap

Event correlation with Splunk

Use of steganography tools

Securing a Windows system with MBSA and SCA

Author Statement

"One of the things I love to hear from students after teaching Security 401 is 'I have worked in security for many years and after taking this course I realized how much I did not know.' With the latest version of Security Essentials and the Bootcamp, we have really captured the critical aspects of security and enhanced those topics with examples to drive home the key points. After you have attended Security 401, I am confident you will walk away with solutions to problems you have had for a while, plus solutions to problems you did not even know you had."

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As a SysAdmin, I found this course invaluable. It not only gave me the skills I need to audit my own systems, but also gave me some insight on how to better work with external auditors.Christoper O'Keefe